World War II Honoree

Walter Scott Nelson, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Savannah, Georgia

Honored By

James O. Sweeny

SIGNED UP AS A PRIVATE IN THE U.S. ARMY FOR A YEAR ON JANUARY 15, 1941, AND HAD BEEN STATIONED AT FT. MCPHERSON, GEORGIA FOR NINE MONTHS WHEN HE ENLISTED ON NOVEMBER 8, 1941 IN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA FOR TRAINING AS AN AVIATION CADET. HE WAS COMMISSIONED 2ND LIEUTENANT IN THE AIR FORCE AT MAXWELL FIELD, ALABAMA ON JULY 3, 1942. AFTER FURTHER TRAINING AT CAMP WILLIAMS, WISCONSIN, LAWSON FIELD, GEORGIA AND DEL VALLE AIR BASE, TEXAS, HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO NORTH AFRICA ON NOVEMBER 16, 1942 WITH THE 316TH TROOP CARRIER GROUP, WHERE HE SERVED AS THE PILOT OF A C-47 AIRCRAFT IN THE SPRING OF 1943 HE WAS IN CHARGE OF AN ADVANCED ECHELON OF HIS SQUADRON, STATIONED AT EL ADEM, AN AIRFIELD NEAR TOBRUK. IN JULY OF 1943 HIS SQUADRON WAS ASSIGNED THE MISSION OF FERRYING PARATROOPERS OF THE 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION IN SUPPORT THE INVASION OF SICILY, AN ACTIVITY CALLED OPERATION HUSKY. ON HIS FIRST MISSION THE WEEK OF JULY 4, HE RECEIVED A SLIGHT INJURY FROM SHRAPNEL, BUT SUCCESSFULLY RETURNED TO BASE AFTER DELIVERING THE PARATROOPERS. HIS SECOND MISSION WAS A WEEK LATER, AFTER WHICH HIS PLANE WAS MISTAKENLY FIRED ON BY UNITS OF THE BRITISH ROYAL NAVY. IT WAS DOWNED TWO MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF SCOGLITTI AND HE AND HIS ENTIRE CREW PERISHED. THE BODIES WERE RECOVERED AND INITIALLY BURIED IN ITALY, BUT HE WAS LATER RE-INTERRED IN GREENWICH CEMETERY IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.